Vaping/smoking ‘link’ doubtful

A new study by the Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) in Scotland has cast doubt on the purported link between the popularity of electronic cigarettes and the desire to smoke tobacco, according to a story on News-Medical.net.

Ninety-six percent of qualitative responses given in interviews with 100 non-smokers aged between 16 and 29 showed young people were able clearly to differentiate between smoking traditional cigarettes and electronic cigarette use, the CSUR has reported.

Most of those who could differentiate between smoking and vaping expressed a lack of interest in the latter because they considered vaping devices were used only for attempting to quit or reduce tobacco consumption.

‘There was no reported change in the respondents’ desire to smoke after seeing the devices used in public, with some suggesting the products make cigarettes appear even less appealing,’ the CSUR said.

‘Although 61 percent of respondents suggested the sight of an e-cigarette made them curious about the devices and what the experience of using them was like, only a third of that group said they had tried one since first seeing the devices used in public, and none had gone on to use e-cigarettes more frequently. Thirty-eight percent commented that seeing an e-cigarette used in public did not make them curious about vaping at all.’

Dr. Neil McKeganey, director of the CSUR and lead author of the study, said the results cast doubt on claims of a link between the increased popularity of e-cigarettes, their ensuing visibility when used in public, and any resulting increase in the desire to smoke tobacco among young people.

The full story is at: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20161220/Research-casts-doubt-on-link-between-popularity-of-e-cigarettes-and-desire-to-smoke-tobacco.aspx